Ministers of Religion

If you plan to come to the UK to work full-time as a minister of religion, you must provide evidence of the following:

that you are a religious worker whose main duty is to lead a congregation in prayer and preach about your religious beliefs

that you have been working for at least one year as a minister or that you have been ordained after training for the ministry

if you were trained then this training must have been for at least one year full-time or two years part-time

that you will not need help from UK public funds

If you want to stay in the UK for more than a year, you can extend your stay as long as you remain in the same position, you can show that your congregation still needs you and that you did not ask for help from public funds.

You must stay in the same employment unless you request permission from the Home Office to change your job. Permission will only be granted if you continue to work as a minister of religion and immigration regulations are satisfied.

You can apply for permanent residency as a minister of religion if you satisfy the following conditions:

you have worked in the United Kingdom as a minister of religion for four years continuously;

you have not asked for help from public funds; and

your congregation still needs you to work as a minister of religion.

You will need to apply for entry clearance as a Minister of Religion from the British Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence.